SEPTEMBER 22 STAR OF THE WEEK: TWO GREAT EXAMPLES OF UNLOVED BIG 70S IRON
These two great examples of big 1970s Detroit iron were at an auction yesterday and to nobody’s surprise, there wasn’t a huge demand for these “Me Decade” classics.
There is no single reason for the lukewarm attitude toward these rides but auction after auction produces the same results for big cars from the 1970s.
Logically, these cars make far more sense as a viable collector car than a ’70 Road Runner because nobody pounded on Lincolns but every guy with an ounce of automotive soul thrashed on muscle cars back in the early seventies.
Logically, you buy a turnkey, low-mileage 70s luxury barge but every car guy on the planet would pay ten times the Cadillac’s selling price for a seriously-flawed, project caliber ’70 Chevelle SS.
The same Chevelle that’s going to cost 75,000 dollars and three or four years to bring back to life.
Meanwhile either one of these big 70s rides will take the new owner on countless classic car adventures in comfort and style over the same three to four years.
They’ll do it for a fraction of the price-that kind of ROI (return on investment) is an MSCC Star of the Week feat.
SEPTEMBER 21 STAR OF THE DAY: THE ARTISTIC SIDE OF RATTIES
Rat rods have become an automotive art form because they are the purest version of free expression.
Superficially, they look like weathered, rusty old rides that could barely squeak by a safety inspection.
The reality is that every rattie represents a personal vision for the builder despite the rough exterior. They’re like Mona Lisas with a bad attitude.
This MSCC Star of the Day rat rod was at a show back in August and there was one thing it had in common with very other rat rod.
It was surrounded by people so picture-taking was a serious challenge.
SEPTEMBER 20 STAR OF THE DAY: ’64 PONTIAC PARISIENNE CUSTOM SPORT CONVERTIBLE
Pontiac was Chevrolet’s more upscale city cousin back in the sixties. Ponchos had a little more flash and sophistication than the bowties and that reflected in the sticker price.
Canadian Pontiacs like the Parisienne were a bit of an enigma because under the sheet metal beat the heart of a Chevy.
These Pontiacs had more in common with Impalas than Grand Prixs.
This MSCC Star of the Day ’64 Pontiac Parisienne Custom Sport convertible was on the street last week and to the average person it was all Poncho.
To hardcore bowtie guys, it was mostly Chevy.
SEPTEMBER 19 MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: ’47 FORD-THE CLASSIC HOT ROD INGREDIENTS
Ford had a lock on hot rod platforms for many years before World War II and the trend continued in the post-war era.
There were many reasons such as the sheer numbers of Fords available and the low-cost flathead V-8 was good base for affordable power but the real reason was style.
This MSCC Star of the Day ’47 Ford was a show last week and it embodied everything that could be cool about a car.
The roof-line, the stance and the attitude in this old Ford is timeless.
SEPTEMBER 18 MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: ’42 WILLYS JEEP-THE LINEUP WAS PRETTY THIN
The war years were a different era because regular passenger vehicle production disappeared overnight.
The ’42 lineup looked a lot like the 1943,’44 and ’45 lineup because most of it looked like this Jeep.
North American manufacturers were inundated with the demands of all-out war production so Chevys, Fords and Plymouths disappeared until the 1946 model run.
This ’42 Willys Jeep was at a show last weekend and it was an easy pick for MSCC Star of the Day because it was so popular for so many years.
The Jeep was a look that never went away.
SEPTEMBER 17 MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: 1957 DODGE CUSTOM ROYAL-THE OTHER FIN CAR FROM MOPAR
Christine really put finned 1950s Plymouths on the map thanks to Stephen King’s imagination back in the 1980s. King did for Furys what David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz did for mailmen back in the 1970s.
The Plymouth Fury didn’t need the notoriety because they were at the top of the heap for entry level muscle back in 1957. Plymouth’s cousin Dodge was a step up in price so they countered with the slightly more upscale Custom Royal.
This MSCC Star of the Day 1957 Custom Royal was at a show several years ago and while this big, bad Dodge didn’t have the Hollywood pedigree of its more famous Fury cousin, the car was clearly a celebrity at the show.
MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: ’69 AMC HURST SC/RAMBLER: LITTLE DOG-BIG BITE
AMC took a serious interest in muscle back in ’68 with the introduction of the 390 cubic inch to the Rebel, Javelin and AMX lineup.
Prior to that year AMC wasn’t keen on any form of racing but the success of the muscle cars in the mid-60s changed the game.
The stakes extended beyond the intermediate-sized and pony cars in the Big Three lineup when Darts and Novas started gaining cubic inches and thumping bigger iron on the street.
AMC had the thrifty, compact and lightweight Rambler Rogue kicking around so they brought Hurst into the game, plunked the 390 under the hood of the little car and ambushed everyone back in 1969.
There was nothing subtle about the Scrambler but it backed up the tough-guy look with results.
This Star of the Day Hurst SC/Rambler was on the street in the summer of 2012 and it was clear why these little Ramblers struck fear in the hearts of the big guys.
Star of the Day page sponsored by Southside Dodge.
